In this article, we will consider what the Moldavian SSR is. This republic was located in the extreme southwest of the European segment of the Soviet Union, of which it was a part. MSSR was established in 1940, on August 2, and disbanded in 1991, on August 27. It bordered on the Ukrainian SSR in the east, north, and south, and Romania in the west. In 1989, its population was 4,337 thousand people. Chisinau was the capital of the MSSR.
The most important cities of Moldova in 1989 were Chisinau (667 100 inhabitants), Tiraspol (181 900 inhabitants), Balti (158 500 inhabitants), Bender (130 000 inhabitants). During the years of Soviet power , the cities of Ungheni, Rybnitsa, Floresti, Edinet, Chadyr-Lunga, and Comrat grew from small towns and former villages.
Joining the USSR of Bessarabia
The Government of the USSR in 1940 on June 26 and 27 sent two notes to the Romanian leadership, in which they demanded that the occupation of Bessarabia be ended without delay. The Romanian Crown Council could not get the support of Germany and Italy, therefore, it had to give the consent of the Soviet government. The Romanian government accepted the proposal of the note of June 28, 1940 on the return of Bessarabia, the procedure and terms for the withdrawal of its divisions and administration. Red Army units entered the same day (June 28) in the Bessarabian province of the RSFSR.
The authorities of the 9th Army were disbanded on July 10. The lands of Bessarabia and the army left on these lands became part of the Odessa Military District.
Formation
In 1940, on August 2, the VII session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was held, at which a law was passed on the creation of the Union Moldavian Republic.
The Moldavian SSR received the following territories: 6 counties of Bessarabia (Bender, Beltsky, Chisinau, Kagul, Sorok, Orhei) and 6 districts of the former Moldavian ASSR (Dubossarsky, Kamensky, Grigoriopol, Rybnitsky, Tiraspol, Slobodzey SSR). also Izmail, Akkerman and Khotinsky counties of Bessarabia were transferred to the Ukrainian SSR.
Later, in 1940, on November 4, the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council issued a decree that confirmed the change in borders between the MSSR and the Ukrainian SSR. Shortly before this, Molotov and Schulenburg concluded an additional agreement, in accordance with which German residents from Northern Bukovina (more than 14 thousand) and the south of Bessarabia (about 100 thousand) were deported to Germany. After that, state farms were created on deserted lands, where people from Ukraine were invited.
The creation of the Moldavian SSR was carried out rapidly. The republic included 61 settlements with residents in the amount of 55 thousand people (14 settlements of the former regions of the MASSR, 1 village of Kagulsky uyezd, 46 villages of Bendery uyezd). 96 villages with a population of 203 thousand people (76 villages of the Khotinsky district, 14 - of Akkermansky and 6 - of Izmail districts) went to the Ukrainian SSR.
These changes were motivated by the fact that in the villages transferred to the Ukrainian SSR, the Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Russian populations prevailed, and in those transferred to the Moldavian SSR - Gagauz and Moldavian.
Total
As a result, the MSSR began to own a territory of 33.7 thousand km², on which 2.7 million souls lived, of which 70% were Moldovans. Chisinau city has turned into the capital of the republic. After the reorganization of Bessarabia, the Moldavian SSR lost 10 thousand km² of land and 0.5 million people.
In 1940, 8 thousand indigenous people were repressed and deported, and in June 13, more than 30 thousand in June 1941.
Bessarabia in the war years
During World War II, the inhabitants of Bessarabia participated in the hostilities on both sides of the war. 10 thousand Bessarabians were drafted into the Romanian army: they fought against the USSR, and more than half of them gave their soul to God. The liberation of the Moldavian SSR from the Romanian occupation occurred in 1944. After the republic was occupied by Soviet troops, 256,000 Moldavians went to the front, of which 40,592 people lost their lives in 1944-1945.
Demographic situation
So, we examined the formation of the Moldavian SSR. What happened next? 448 million rubles were allocated to restore the economy of the new republic from the state budget of the USSR. First of all, bridges and lines of communication through the Dniester were revived, blown up by the retreating Romanian army. For the reconstruction of the complex of economic sectors, parts of the Red Army were sent, which were helped by the local population. All the crossings through the Dniester on September 19, 1944 were rebuilt, and the import of machinery and equipment became possible in Moldova. In the winter of 1945, equipment was imported into the republic for 22 large organizations.
Economic situation
To restore the industry, the Moldavian SSR received coal (226,000 tons), ferrous metals (20,000 tons), oil products (51,000 tons). By analogy with the 1940 level, 19% produced more sugar by 16%, knitwear by 36%, vegetable oil by 84%, brick by 42%, electricity by 48%, and leather shoes by 46%. It was reconstructed 226 collective farms and 60 state farms.
Many Union republics (mainly the RSFSR) of Moldova transferred cattle (10,800 animals), sheep (47,700 animals), seeds (17.4 tons), horses (17,300 animals), field cultivation equipment and much more. However, in 1946, famine came and the number of cattle began to decline. So, of the 25,000 goats and sheep provided by the RSFSR, by 1947 no more than 18,000 heads were preserved. In 1949, wealthy peasants were deported from the country, and their equipment: machinery, land, livestock and crops - transferred to collective farms.
Hunger
As you can see, the Moldavian SSR received impressive help. History says that in spite of this, a crisis occurred in the republic in 1946, however, as in other regions of the USSR. In Bessarabia, after the end of World War II, a shortage of food appeared, and even in 1945 there was a dry summer. Due to lack of food, the number of offenses (mainly theft) has increased dramatically.
Due to the crisis, the peasants began to refuse to hand over the crop (primarily bread) to the state. Sometimes entire collective farms boycotted the collection of products. Local authorities called these incidents "facts of unhealthy moods." That is why the leadership of the USSR freed Moldova from the supply of certain provisions to other Union republics and for the Red Army.
It should be noted that since 1947, additional food supplies were imported to Moldova from many republics of the Soviet Union.
Sovietization
The Soviet leadership continued the policy of Sovietization in 1940, suspended due to war. The power in the republic was dynamically strengthened. The Supreme Council of the Moldavian SSR and the government, after returning from evacuation, were first stationed in Soroca, and then moved to Chisinau. The leadership was engaged in the restoration of local bodies: regional executive committees were created by direct appointment. In the autumn of 1944, city executive committees began to work, as well as rural, district, and district. The activities of the prosecutor's office and the court were reconstructed.
The Presidium of the Armed Forces on June 16, 1949 issued a Decree on the creation of district executive committees, city, county, rural and village. On October 16, a new Decree was issued on the establishment of districts and the abolition of counties. In December 1947, for the first time after the end of the war, elections were organized in the republic to the local government - the Soviets. Executive committees were elected at the first session of the Soviets. Management departments and special commissions were created at executive committees.
Deportations
The peasants, who disposed of an impressive amount of private property, supported the Romanians in 1941. This class persisted in Moldova until 1949. In 1944-1945, the Soviet leadership was forced to dekulakize such layers of the population by force. Kulakov, together with property at the local police station, was registered. The Soviet government estimated that in 1946 there were 27,025 private land owners in Moldova .
In the post-war years, hunger began in the republic, as a result of which an anti-Soviet movement appeared. Among the villagers most affected by the famine, leaflets were distributed in which people were urged to resist the Soviet government. Religious leaflets were issued along with anti-Soviet ones; local sects distributed them.
In April 1949, on April 6, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks issued a decree on the eviction from Bessarabia of former sectarians, kulaks, landowners, entrepreneurs and those who helped the German and Romanian invaders and assisted the White Guards. Entire families were evicted outside the republic. This process is called Operation South. 11,290 families of 40,860 people were deported from Moldova. The authorities transferred the expropriated property to the state farms and collective farms, and sold houses and buildings to private individuals.
Moldova was part of the USSR for 47 years until August 27, 1991, until its independence.
Administrative division
What did the Moldavian SSR become? Its districts in the amount of 52 units appeared as a result of the division of counties on November 11, 1940. Another 6 districts of the republic went from the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
Moldova owned the following counties:
- Bendersky (Bendery, Kaynarsky, Volunteer, Comrat, Kaushansky, Chimishli and Romanovsky areas);
- Beltsky (Bolotinsky, Beltsky, Brichansky, Bratushansky, Edinets, Glodyansky, Kishkaren, Lipkansky, Korneshtsky, Ryshkansky, Singzhereysky, Skulyansky, Falestsky and Ungensky districts);
- Chisinau (Buzhorsky, Budeshti, Chisinau, Calarasi, Kotovsky, Nisporeni, Leov and Straseni regions);
- Kagulsky (Vulcanesti, Baymakli, Kagul, Taraclia, Kangaz and Chadyr-Lung regions);
- Soroksky (Vertyuzhansky, Ataksky, Zguritsky, Drokievsky, Kotyuzhansky, Soroksky, Oknitsky, Floresti and Tarnovsky districts);
- Orhei (Kiperchensky, Bravichsky, Criulensky, Raspopensky, Orhei, Rezinsky, Telenesti and Suslensky areas).
Moldova had the following areas of republican destination:
- Dubossary;
- Grigoriopolsky;
- Rybnitsky;
- Kamensky;
- Tiraspol
- Slobodzeysky.
What else did the Moldavian SSR have? The cities of republican destination were in this republic as follows:
- Kishinev;
- Balti
- Bender
- Tiraspol.
Guide
So, the Moldavian SSR in 1940 became part of the Soviet Union. Its top leadership was carried out by the Communist Moldavian Party, which was part of the CPSU. In 1990, multi-party elections began. It is known that the Central Committee (CC) was the supreme body of the Communist Party of the MSSR. In 1940-1990, the republic was led by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova.
In April 1990, after the election, a coalition was formed from the Popular Front (non-communist organization) and some members of the Moldovan Communist Party’s administration who abandoned the communist ideology. This was reflected in the distribution of leading posts: representatives of the Popular Front stood at the head of the executive branch, and former communists took the legislative branch. From April 27 to September 3, 1990, Mircea Snegur held the post of chairman of the Moldovan Supreme Council. He was elected president of the republic on September 3, 1990. Mircea Druk was Chairman of the Council of Ministers from May 25, 1990 to May 28, 1991, then Valery Muravsky held this position.
The Supreme Council
What was the highest legislative body of Moldova in 1940-1991? It was the Supreme Council (unicameral), whose deputies (except for the 1991 elections) were elected on a non-alternative basis for 4 years (for 5 years from 1979). Prior to the election, the leadership of the Communist Party of Moldova approved.
The Supreme Council was not a permanent organization, its deputies gathered 2-3 times a year at sessions that lasted a couple of days. For the conduct of administrative work, politicians elected a continuously working Presidium, which was considered the collective head of the republic.
Coat of arms
Now consider the coat of arms of the Moldavian SSR. This is the national symbol of the MSSR, based on the emblem of the Soviet Union. In accordance with the 167th article of the Constitution of Moldova, approved in 1978 on April 15, it contains an image of a sickle and a hammer placed in the sun. This composition is surrounded by ears of corn, ears of grapes, clusters of grapes and a red ribbon with inscriptions on it: the letters "RSSM" are visible at the bottom, on the right side you can read the Russian slogan "Workers of all countries, unite!", On the left - the same phrase is written in Moldavian language. The emblem is decorated with a five-pointed star at the top .
The coat of arms of the Moldavian SSR has several versions. Initially, it was somewhat different from the late Soviet spelling of the word “unite” in the Moldavian language and the length of the rays of the sun. The new coat of arms of the republic was approved at a plenary meeting of the Moldovan government, which was held in November 3, 1990.
Flag
And what does the flag of the Moldavian SSR look like? This is a rectangular double-sided fabric of red color, in the center of which a green stripe is drawn in full length. Against a red background in the upper left corner is the basic detail of the coat of arms of the MSSR - a hammer and a sickle of golden color and a five-pointed red star surrounded by a golden border.
The green stripe occupies one fourth of the width of the fabric. The hammer and sickle are inscribed in an imaginary square, the side of which corresponds to a fifth of the width of the flag. The handle of the hammer and sickle touch the lower corners of the square, and the blade of the sickle abuts against the center of its upper side.
The five-pointed star was also depicted in a conditional circle with a diameter equal to a tenth of the width of the fabric. The leadership of the MSSR approved this flag by decree of January 31, 1952. Further, the cloth was described in article 168 of the 1978 Constitution of the MSSR.
We hope that by reading our article, you get a complete picture of the Moldavian SSR.